July 01, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1429

LAHORE, June 30: Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on Monday filed a fresh appeal against a ban for indiscipline just weeks after the punishment was reduced from five years to 18 months, his lawyer said.

The 32-year-old paceman was banned for five years by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) disciplinary committee in April for several incidents of indiscipline and violating the conditions of a two-year probation.

The ban came followed Shoaib’s public criticism of the PCB after he was dropped from a list of 15 players who were given central contracts in January this year.

However, an appellate committee reduced the suspension to 18 months and imposed a fine of seven million rupees ($115,000) earlier this month.

“We have challenged the decision of the disciplinary committee and the appellate committee and have termed both decisions as illegal,” his lawyer Bilal Minto said. “We hope the case is heard within the next couple of days.”

In October last year, Shoaib was banned for 13 matches and fined Rs3.4 million for hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat just days before the Twenty20 World Championship in September in South Africa.

Shoaib has played 46 Tests and 138 One-day Internationals for Pakistan.

Shoaib said he will fight the ban until he is cleared.

“I want to play for my country and the ban deprived me of that,” Shoaib said last week.—AFP